The report about the studies I heard on "All Things Considered" said (I'm paraphrasing here, but I'm close): "The Atkins dieters actually showed higher HDL (that's the good cholesterol) at the end of the study than the low fat dieters. That doesn't mean that the Atkins diet is healthier, though."

Well, what does it mean, then? It would seem to me that if more benefits accrue from one diet over another, and there are no deleterious effects, that that diet would be healthier. At least on Planet Earth. I never heard one single evidentiary fact or read of one in the paper of any negative effects of the Atkins diet in these studies. They just state their findings like above and then come to their pre-determined opposite conclusion. Watch out! Get out of the way of that telescreen. The Diet Police might see you discard your bread.